Monastic Landscape and land uses in Papikion Mountain

The monastic landscapes are result of interaction between monk and nature. They constitute part of the cultural ecological and economic heritage of each christian population. The development in these landscapes, due to demographic, social and economic changes, is rapid and many times irreversible. Because it is difficult to replace their loss, they should not disappear before their census, their mapping and their evaluation. Aim of present work is to recognize, to search and evaluate the passage from the deserted in the monastic landscape of Papikio Mountain, part of South-eastern Rhodope. Information and statistical data of the region were collected and analyzed. The region constitutes an important palimpsest landscape, which is characterized by diversity, complexity and density natural and cultural elements in relatively small extent. The historical sources and the archaeological excavation’s data testify a Byzantine monastic center of 11th century. The monastic landscape is an important source of knowledge of traditional environmental know-how and it should be studied and evaluated so that the natural resources and the cultural landscape of region are developed.